Two for One

Today is the 4th Sunday of Advent, represented by the angel, and also the Winter Solstice, represented by the sun. The angel is a clay-fired ornament with white glaze and hand-painted details. Originally made in Mexico, I picked this up in Santa Fe, New Mexico at a shop called Jackalope Pottery. Years ago it was a quirky little shop tucked along Cerrillos Road that sold mostly pottery and other items imported from Mexico. Now it is a much larger store that carries a big inventory of multiple items, much of which is aimed at the tourist trade. I prefer the old shop with its cobbled-together rooms and cozy, welcoming feeling. This angel reminds me of a much less crowded and developed Santa Fe, and is a reminder that more is not always better – a good thing to keep in mind this time of year.

The sun is from the other side of the world. We found this in a shop just outside Bolesławiec (pronounced “Boh-le-swav-yets”), a city famous for blue and white Polish pottery. While we were stationed in Germany, Layden and I and several friends piled into our mini van and made a long day trip to the city. It was a bit of an adventure because the pottery was gaining in popularity, which meant tour buses, which meant lots of people crowding in. We did our best to get to shops before or in between buses. It became a bit of a game which we called “Beat the Bus.” At the end of the day as we were headed home, we saw a shop that specialized in glass ornaments made in the traditional “Old World” fashion. These ornaments are made of glass blown in to molds. The insides are coated with shiny silver paint which adds depth and lustre to the designs painted on the outside. These are sometimes called mercury glass because the inside coating used to be made from silver nitrate – shiny but highly toxic. This sun got dropped once, breaking a few of its rays. We put cotton balls in the broken spot to resemble clouds. Now when we put it on the tree, we remember that sometimes unfortunate things happen and things are not always sunny, but that doesn’t mean we should give up.

Of interest: The Winter solstice marks the longest night and the shortest day and always happens near Christmas. It was a very important pagan festival, still celebrated in many places today. The occasion is observed in different ways depending on where in the world you are, but most include feasting, dancing, and merrymaking, all accompanied by a lot of light in order to beckon the sun to return. The tradition of burning a yule l0g is one solstice celebration that became part of Christmas tradition.